I have a guilty pleasure of sweets. Any kind of pastry is my friend. I like to use the excuse of holidays to bake delicious treats and of course Easter is no exception. A tradition I have created is baking birthday cakes for my friends and I baked a carrot cake for a girlfriend of mine for her birthday. Sadly, it did not turn out as I had hoped and so I felt the need to redeem myself and my baking reputation. The result: Carrot Cupcakes with toasted coconut. They turned out to be so yummy and were a hit amongst my boyfriend's family and my friends. I used a recipe from Martha Stewart and added a couple of my own special ingredients. I wanted them to resemble a easter basket sans the handle and I think I did a swell job. Here is the result.
For the icing I added 1/4 cup mascarpone. Careful not to use too much because it will out flavor the cream cheese and will become too creamy.
For the cake I added 1/2 a banana and mashed it before putting it in and mixed it in well. The banana makes the cake a bit more moist and a boost of flavor.
Martha's recipe doesn't direct to toast the coconut. I think that the coconut toasted adds a great texture to the cupcake and doesn't overwhelm the taste of the carrot cake itself. To toast the coconut: Set the oven to 350 degrees. On a flat baking sheet with a rim spread the coconut evenly. Toast in the over for 15 minutes (or until it is a golden brown) stirring the coconut occasionally. I used green food coloring to dye the coconut. Since Easter has passed, obviously you don't need to dye it.
Most of all... Enjoy!
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